The board does get provincial funding for each student, but officials said that funding has not kept pace with school system growth or inflation.

So while the CBE may have some of the highest school fees in Alberta, it also has the highest number of students: 124,000 this school year.

“The CBE has made the choice to allocate those funds towards student learning,” board chair Trina Hurdman said, “rather than to programs such as noon hour supervision.”

Back in 2017, Alberta Education reviewed the board’s operations. It found a high level of student program support but also found high leasing costs, high administrative expenses and transportation challenges.

The province did provide the board with an additional $18 million for 2018-19, but that was to offset the instructional materials, supplies and transportation fees the NDP eliminated in 2017.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association told Global News it believes that fees should not produce a barrier for accessing public education.

While teachers support the efforts of government to prohibit school boards from using fees to fund curricular programs, the ATA says it also recognizes that fees have been used to bridge gaps that exist in current funding.

“Public education needs to be adequately funded by government,” ATA president Greg Jeffery said. “So that school fees and fundraising are not necessary.”